{"id":2528,"date":"2019-04-11T16:16:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T21:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/?p=2528"},"modified":"2020-02-21T12:48:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T17:48:30","slug":"depression-and-older-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/depression-and-older-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Depression and Older Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"

All humans experience sadness or grief at one time or the other. Depression, however, is a psychiatric illness that needs to be diagnosed and treated.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, though depression is common in older adults, it is often overlooked. Many risk factors can predispose older adults to develop depression; these include the presence of physical illness, social isolation, the loss of independence, being a woman, and the loss of loved ones. Aging is often associated with difficult changes or losses, but it is not normal for anyone to present sustained depressive symptoms. This is a sign to ask for help.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of depression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Depression is characterized by a constellation of symptoms that must last at least two weeks<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Symptom<\/strong><\/td>\nExample<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Severe sadness<\/td>\nFrequent crying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loss of interest and pleasure<\/td>\nNo desire to go to the movies even though it is one\u2019s favourite activity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Difficulty concentrating<\/td>\nFrequent forgetfulness, difficulty reading, or following conversations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Changes in appetite or weight<\/td>\nLoss of interest in food<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Changes in sleep<\/td>\nTrouble falling asleep, multiple awakenings during the night<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loss of energy<\/td>\nIncapacity to do usual activities because of fatigue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Feelings of guilt or loss of self-esteem<\/td>\nLoss of self-esteem, feelings of being responsible for others\u2019 suffering<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Psychomotor retardation or agitation<\/td>\nSlow movements, long delay to answer questions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ideas of death or suicide<\/td>\nLoss of hope, formulation of suicidal plan, feelings that others would be better off without them<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Contrary to popular belief, suicide also affects the older adults. The presence of suicidal ideas or intentions require a medical evaluation.<\/p>\n

What about depression in older adults?<\/h3>\n

It is important to know that depression in older adults may present a bit differently. It is in fact common for them to complain less of sadness and more of boredom, anxiety, memory problems, as well as physical symptoms, such as pain or gastro-intestinal issues.<\/p>\n

Impaired memory and concentration are common symptoms of depression in people of all ages. Nevertheless, their presence in older adults requires additional attention because they may be a sign of an underlying memory or cognitive disorder. For example, Alzheimer\u2019s disease and Parkinson\u2019s disease, which affect brain function, may present with depressive symptoms. In addition, depression in the older adult is a risk factor future development of dementia. A medical evaluation can help narrow down the diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Treatment<\/h3>\n

Treatment of depression can take on many faces. It is tailored to the intensity of the symptoms as well as the desires and needs of each patient.<\/p>\n

For example, mild depressive symptoms related to social isolation may respond to simple interventions such as an increase in activities and contacts with loved ones. Symptoms of moderate or severe intensity may require more specific interventions, for example psychotherapy, which can be given in individual or group settings, and medication such as antidepressants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many risk factors can predispose older adults to develop depression; these include the presence of physical illness, social isolation, the loss of independence, being a woman, and the loss of loved ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDepression and Older Adults - Eugeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/depression-and-older-adults\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Depression and Older Adults - Eugeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many risk factors can predispose older adults to develop depression; these include the presence of physical illness, social isolation, the loss of independence, being a woman, and the loss of loved ones.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/depression-and-older-adults\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eugeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-11T21:16:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-21T17:48:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/depression-tristesse-suicide-elderly-older-adults-vieillir-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"243\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Quoc Nguyen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Eugeria\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/depression-and-older-adults\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/depression-tristesse-suicide-elderly-older-adults-vieillir-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/depression-tristesse-suicide-elderly-older-adults-vieillir-1.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":243},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/depression-and-older-adults\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/depression-and-older-adults\/\",\"name\":\"Depression and Older Adults - 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